A History Of Iconic Women: Here Are 60 Years Of Lady Legends

Dandridge Was Breaking Barriers

Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Carmen Jones, in 1954. That same year, 1954, the Supreme Court heard Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 438, and decided to outlaw segregated public schools for black and white students at the state level.

It was not until the year 1964 that the Civil Rights Act, the act that ended all state and local segregation laws, was enacted. Dandridge was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is featured in a mural on a wall at Hollywood high School.